Newsletter

GATOR BOWL NOTEBOOK: Georgia's Wilson decides against draft

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When Georgia junior linebacker Ramik Wilson was asked on Saturday if he had made his decision whether to enter the NFL draft or not, he replied, “I don’t know yet ... but it’s coming real soon.”

How soon? About 72 seconds.

It took that long for Wilson to go from being on the fence to blurting out, “I’m coming back,” during an interview session with the media before the second practice of Gator Bowl week at Jacksonville University. “It will be a dream come true, the chance to get drafted but school is more important, getting my degree.”

The decision means the game against Nebraska on Jan. 1 at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field won’t be Wilson’s last. A Tampa native and the Bulldogs’ leading tackler at inside linebacker, Wilson said he had been consulting with his family over the decision but had not applied for a draft grade from the NFL.

He said the bulk of the conversation with his family had been about whether he was ready for the NFL or not.

“My parents said to make the best decision for me and live with it,” said the 6-foot-2, 232-pound Wilson. “They will support me no matter what. They understand I need to stay in school and get better on the field.”

Wilson is a communications major and earlier this year, was awarded the UGA Athletic Achievement Award for showing academic improvement over the past year.

Of course Wilson is free to change his mind and has until Jan. 15 to notify the NFL if he wants to be made available for the draft. But he sounded convinced by the end of his interview.

What seemed to strike a nerve in Wilson just before he said he was returning to Georgia was a question about the difficulty of leaving his teammates and the school.

“It’s real important ... school, the guys,” he said. “(The season) brought us together a lot, (fans and media) saying we were inconsistent. We’re a family.”

Georgia coach Mark Richt didn’t sound surprised when he was told of Wilson’s statement and said it was for the best that he return.

“Good ... I’m glad,” Richt said. “I think it will help Ramik and it will help Georgia. I think Ramik had a tremendous year and I think he knows he can get better.”

Wilson’s announcement means the Dawgs will return 10 of the 11 starters on the depth chart entering the Gator Bowl against Nebraska for the 2014 season, with Wilson one of only four who will be seniors. Senior defensive end Garrison Smith will be the only starter playing his last game Jan. 1 for UGa.

“We’ve got to stay together and keep improving,” Wilson said.

Wilson has 138 tackles this season, 72 solo stops. He has 11 tackles for losses and four sacks; and has also broken up three passes and been credited for seven quarterback pressures.

Conley latest injured

The Bulldogs have another injury situation to deal with in junior wide receiver Chris Conley’s sprained ankle during Friday’s practice.

But Richt is hopeful his leading receiver this season will be able to play against Nebraska Jan. 1 in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl.

Conley sprained the same ankle that kept him out for games against Florida and Appalachian State and did not practice on Saturday. Richt said the injury occurred when Conley was “running a route, going for the ball.”

With the loss for the season of Keith Marshall and Justin Scott-Wesley, Conley has emerged as the go-to receiver when healthy, catching 42 passes for 605 yards, both team-highs.

Conley has four touchdowns and is averaging 14.4 yards per reception.

Richt said Conley has demonstrated a high tolerance for pain in the past.

“Chris is very, very tough and can play through a little pain,” Richt said. “If he’s 85 percent, he can still play, and play well.”

Media darling

Conley received one post-season award: the “Christian Robinson GATA Award,” presented each year by the Georgia beat writers to the player who has the most “gracious attitude toward answering,” when it comes to interviews.

Hence, the acronym “GATA.”

The beat writers began the award three years ago and named it for the first recipient, a Bulldog linebacker. The winner last season was tight end Arthur Lynch.

Conley is a journalism major and has expressed an interest in film-making and directing. He is the SEC’s representative on the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a member of the Georgia Leadership Academy.

“I understand writers have a difficult job sometimes,” Conley told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “When you get five or six guys all giving the same answer, it’s hard to write off that. I try to think about the question and give good answers.”

Playing Abdullah

Richt had a bit of a dilemma entering bowl practice in Athens when it came to finding a running back to come anywhere close to replicating the speed and agility of Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah, the Cornhuskers MVP and an All-Big Ten player who rushed for a conference-best of 1,568 yards this season with 10 100-yard games.

Because of the threat of injury, Richt didn’t want to use Bulldogs’ tailback starter Todd Gurley to pose as the 5-foot-9 Abdullah. So he has settled on Brandon Harton, a 5-6 senior who has seven carries this season for 16 yards.

“Brandon is not real big but he’s very quick and fast, similar to (Abdullah),” Richt said.

Richt also had the team in full pads for a second day in a row so the defense could tackle in drills and scrimmages.

“Abdullah is a great back and you can’t knock down a great back ... you have to tackle and wrap him up,” Richt said. “That’s why we tackled (Friday and Saturday), to get the sensation of wrapping a guy up and getting him on the ground.”